Rebel Footprints

A Guide to Uncovering London's Radical History

Paper $17.00ISBN: 9780745334097
Published
May 2015
For Sale in All Americas and the Caribbean except Canada

Cloth $85.00ISBN: 9780745334103
Published
May 2015
For Sale in All Americas and the Caribbean except Canada

A truly radical response to conservative heritage tours and banal day trips, Rebel Footprints brings to life the history of social movements in England’s capital. David Rosenberg transports readers from well-known landmarks to history-making hidden corners, while telling the story of protest and struggle in London from the early nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. From the suffragettes to the socialists, from the chartists to the trade unionists: Rosenberg invites us to step into the footprints of a diverse cast of dedicated fighters for social justice. Individual chapters highlight particular struggles and their participants, from famous faces to lesser-known luminaries. Rosenberg sets London’s radical campaigners against the backdrop of the city’s multi-faceted development. Self-directed walks pair with narratives that seamlessly blend history, politics, and geography, while specially commissioned maps and illustrations immerse the reader in the story of the city. Whether you’re visiting London for the first time, or born and raised there, Rosenberg invites you to see London as you never have before—the radical center of the English-speaking world.

ForewordIntroduction1. Rebellious City: London from the 1830s to the 1930s2. Trailblazers for Democracy3. Rising from the East 4. Coming in from the Cold: Immigrant Agitators and Radicals in the East End5. No Gods No Masters: Radical Bloomsbury6. Stirrings from the South: the Battersea 47. Speaking Truth to Power in Suffragette City 8. Not Afraid of the Prison Walls: Rebel Women and Men of Poplar9. People’s Power in Bermondsey10. No Pasaran! ConclusionBibliographyIndex

Review Quotes

Guardian

"Informative and well-judged. . . . There is so much that is inspirational in this book, whether the struggles of Jewish tailors in Spitalfields, bakers across the city (who were obliged to work 16-hour shifts in poorly ventilated basements), or the battles against fascism in Cable Street. . . . It would be best to see such places soon, before someone builds a ghastly new office block over them."

Billy Bragg

"By offering us a guide to our radical past, Rosenberg reminds us of the strong tradition of dissent that has shaped our history and made us who we are."

Paul Mason, economics editor, Channel 4 News

"You haven't walked the streets of London unless you've understood the secret history of revolt, rebellion and poverty hidden all around you in its bricks and alleyways. Rosenberg takes you there as no other writer has done."

Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the British Trades Union Congress

"This brilliant book brings London’s long tradition of radicalism and rebellion to life. Using walks to show how dissent led to democracy, it is a fitting testimonial to the collective struggles of Londoners of every colour and creed. At a time when our capital is increasingly dominated by the interests of the global super rich, this is a timely reminder that many of the rights we now take for granted were won by ordinary working-class people. I for one will be dusting down my walking shoes and taking to the streets to find out more."

For more information, or to order this book, please visit http://www.press.uchicago.edu